Prayer of Lament

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!
O that justice would be served!
For Your sake I will not keep silent.
Shout out, do not hold back!*

A great injustice has occurred, O God, and we are angry.
We are unsettled.
We are sad.
We do not know what to do.

A mother weeps for her child is no more.
May we mourn with her.

A city lies in ashes.
May we remember, in ashes we repent.

We confess, O God, the sin of racism.
The sin of oppression.
The sin of ignorance.
We confess, O God, that even though we try hard,
We participate in systems that purport racism and violence.

Forgive us, O God.
May we repent of our sins.
May we work to rebuild from the ashes.
May we seek to hear our neighbor, to listen and learn from them.
May we put away our weapons, and study war no more.

May we repent of our fear as an excuse.

Call us into the work of justice:
Anti-racism
Anti-oppression
Listening
Opening our hearts to other’s pain
Moving in solidarity with those who suffer.

Call us into the work of mercy:
Building community together
Reaching out to those who are different
And have different stories
Help us to care for the marginalized around us
Help us to lift up their voices